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Xia Boyu, a 69-year-old double amputee, is hoping to make a fifth assault on Everest, the planet's highest mountain above sea level, during 2018, after being thwarted on his four previous attempts.

He was a football player in central China’s Qinghai Province before being selected to join the China National Mountaineering Team in 1974, reports Chinese news portal China News.

Xia’s first attempt to scale the 8,848-metre mountain was in 1975. His team was hit by bad weather about 200 metres below the summit and Xia offered his sleeping bag to his team-mate, who had lost his own. However, his selfless act resulted in him losing both of his legs due to frostbite when they eventually made their way back down the mountain.

He was then diagnosed with lymph cancer in 1996.

However, he has never given up his dream of climbing Everest and continues to put himself through a punishing training regime, which includes getting up at 5am in the morning and cycling more than 30 miles to a nearby mountain to practice three times a week.

Xia again attempted to conquer the mountain in 2014, but failed due to an avalanche. His third try, the following year, also ended in failure, this time because of an 8.1 magnitude earthquake. Xia tried to reach the top of Everest for a fourth time in 2016, but a snowstorm forced him to retreat when he was just 94 metres from the top.

In January 2018, the Nepalese government introduced new rules banning double amputees from climbing the peak, which Xia called discrimination. He currently is waiting for his mountaineering license application to gain approval from the Nepalese government.

“When I get the license, I will begin my fifth attempt as soon as possible,” Xia said.